The Bay International Film Festival

The Bay International Film Festival gives people the chance to experience cinema together, sparking ideas and conversation. All screenings are followed by Q&A sessions with filmmakers or post-film discussion.

In just three years, the festival has become an important part of the town’s cultural calendar building an established and appreciative audience. Free community tickets made available through food banks, film clubs and relaxed and baby-friendly screenings means everyone is welcome. 

Festival producer Anna Henderson explains why the film clubs are helping to combat loneliness, saying: “Tea, coffee and biscuits aren't simply free drinks: they create the warm, sociable atmosphere that sets our screenings apart from traditional cinemagoing. Sharing a hot drink turns a screening into a community event. It gets people talking and helps first-time, older or isolated attendees feel they belong. In an area hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis, it also means a properly free afternoon out.”

The festival theme of Childhood. Adolescence. Youth. will explore stories about growing up across cultures, generations and experiences, and feature a family friendly screening as well as short film programme.

One of the workshops for young people will be the Music Video Masterclass, a hands-on filmmaking project with a local band, culminating in a public premiere at the festival.

‘Northern Soul’ tells the uplifting story of two best friends set against the youth culture springing up in clubs throughout Northern England in the 1970s. Already confirmed is producer Alan Graves for the post film Q&A, while audiences can recreate the action with a Northern Soul party in the evening full of music and dancing from the era captured in the film. 

Game of Thrones actor Roger Ashton-Griffiths, said: “One of the most remarkable things about The Bay International Film Festival is just how effectively it combines its global outlook with events that involve the local community.”

Another first will be the Virtual Reality strand, supported by Morecambe Town Council. With no VR cinema venues in Lancashire or Cumbria, this will bring immersive cutting edge film to the town. 

The festival is providing creative opportunities for the local residents too. The photography competition invites the whole community to creatively document Morecambe Bay through the eyes of iconic film directors Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, Greta Gerwig and Tim Burton.

Daragh Carville, writer/showrunner of ITV's The Bay, said: "The third Bay International Film Festival was an absolute blast, a celebration of the talent and creativity that's long been at the heart of the Morecambe Bay area."

Festival director Darren Henderson said: “We're about more than screenings: in a time of cost-of-living pressure, isolation and rising mental-health strain, we aim to use film to bring people together, spark conversation and inspire, and provide creative opportunities especially for young people.

“With no independent cinema in Morecambe, we absolutely knew this was the right place to call home and fill a gap for the community. With audience numbers growing each year and the majority of screenings more than 80 percent full, we’re delighted to see the festival embraced by the people we had in mind when we first set this up.”

The festival aims to cater for all with family-friendly content (ages 6+) through to adult films; relaxed screenings for neurodiverse and D/deaf audiences and baby-friendly screenings for new parents. 

The film clubs are a great way to get involved, with screenings taking place in informal settings with a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and free refreshments to encourage guests to stay and chat.

Events are held at different times of day to fit around work and childcare, with confirmed venues around the town including Reel Cinema, More Music, Alhambra Theatre, The Exchange and The King’s Arms. 

The festival is supported by Morecambe Town Council, Lancashire County Council, Lancaster University, Reel Cinema and Film Hub North.